My camera or microphone isn't working

In some cases Checkin won't detect a camera or microphone, the devices could be blocked, or the device selection won't save. In these cases, there are a few things you can do to get everything working again!

First Steps 

Update Your Browser

The first thing to check on is if your browser is up to date. We support the two most recent versions of our supported browsers, so double-check that there isn't an update for the one you're using! There are links below that walk you through updating your browser if you don't know how to: 

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Opera
• Microsoft Edge - This browser is updated automatically when you update Windows

Accidentally Block Permission?

After you've been matched for a Checkin, you'll be asked to give permission to access your camera and microphone, you may have chosen "Block" instead of "Allow" by mistake. 

In this case, please press the camera icon in the browser's address bar to undo the block, then press "Try Again." 

Clear Your Cache and Cookies

Finally, it's possible that this is caused by a stale mic/cam permissions cookie, or possibly because of another application that's taking priority access.

In this case we recommend clearing your cache and cookies for your entire browser and then restarting your computer. Sometimes a reset of your system environment will resolve these types of issues, so this is a "catch-all" solution before further investigation is required! Instructions for clearing your cache and cookies for our supported browsers are linked below:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Opera
• Microsoft Edge

Check your browser settings

Chrome

Mic and Cam defaults can be accessed in a number of ways in Chrome, but the easiest is to paste the following links into your URL bar:

Cam:  chrome://settings/content/camera
Mic:  chrome://settings/content/microphone

Firefox

In Firefox, you can also use a URL link to get to your privacy settings. Start by going to about:preferences#privacy, and then look under the Permissions section. Here you can adjust which websites are allowed to use your camera, and you'll want to see Checkin listed as Allow.

To adjust which camera or microphone Firefox is accessing, you'll need to join a Checkin. From here, click on the icon that's just to the left of your URL bar, and you'll have a dropdown menu where you can select the camera you want to use.

Opera

In Opera you can get to settings by typing " settings" into your URL bar. From here, click on Websites in the left-hand menu list. Then scroll down to the Microphone and Camera area, and use the dropdown menus to select the default devices. You can also adjust your permissions preferences and set up Exceptions as necessary.

Check your system settings

MacOS

In MacOS Mojave, Apple has introduced some system-level privacy controls for your mic and camera. These are great for privacy, but it is possible that your browser was mistakenly blocked from accessing your devices. You can check on this and allow your browser to access them from the Security & Privacy section in your System Preferences. 

To access these settings, do the following: 

1. Click on the Apple in the top left > select System Preferences.
2. Click on the Security & Privacy section.
3. Click on Camera in the list of options, and tick the box next to your browser to allow access.
4. Repeat Step 3 for your Microphone
5. After doing this, restart your browser for the updates to take effect

Windows

In Windows 10, you're able to set a default Microphone, but there are also system-level Camera permissions on what applications can access your camera. For either of these settings, the first thing to do is open up your system settings by clicking on the Start menu and selecting the Settings gear.

Default Mic

You can adjust the microphone settings by typing "Mic" into the search bar and going to the Sound settings. Scroll down to Input and use the dropdown to select the proper input device

Camera Permissions

Camera permissions can be accessed by typing "Cam" into the search bar. These settings are under your general Privacy settings, but search is the easiest way to access them. From here, be sure that your browser has permission to access your camera.

Still not working? A couple more things to check...

Adjusting your Firewall: Some browsers are not able to connect through strict networks/firewalls. Also, there may be bugs in the browser causing problems with the connection. If you are experiencing this, try switching to another browser. Currently, Firefox is not supporting connections through very strict firewalls, so if you are on a corporate network, try to get all participants to use Chrome or Opera. 

Browser Extensions: Interfering browser extensions: It is not uncommon for some third-party extensions to cause problems with some websites. To test this, try using your browser through an Incognito tab or Private browsing window. If all works normally then you know that an extension is causing an issue. Unfortunately, there is no way to identify which one easily. A process of elimination will need to be done on each extension to find the one causing the problem.